U.S. patent number 6,854,681 [Application Number 10/632,429] was granted by the patent office on 2005-02-15 for retractable pencil/pen/stylus holder.
Invention is credited to Louis A. Kish.
United States Patent |
6,854,681 |
Kish |
February 15, 2005 |
Retractable pencil/pen/stylus holder
Abstract
Exemplary embodiments are directed to a retractable instrument
holder. More specifically, the instrument holder is composed of an
adapter coupled to a retractable reel. The adapter includes a main
cavity that has an inner bore of varying diameters. Accordingly,
the adapter is capable of retaining instruments of varying sizes as
well as those instruments having a variety of shapes.
Inventors: |
Kish; Louis A. (Santa Ana,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
31499344 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/632,429 |
Filed: |
July 31, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
242/380; 224/162;
224/251; 401/131 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F
5/004 (20130101); A63B 57/00 (20130101); B43K
25/00 (20130101); B43K 23/001 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45F
5/00 (20060101); A63B 57/00 (20060101); B65H
075/48 (); B43K 023/02 (); A45F 005/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;242/380,402 ;401/131
;224/162,251 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Jillions; John M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Cislo & Thomas, LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application
No. 60/402,412 filed on Aug. 9, 2002 and U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/454,008 filed on Mar. 13, 2003. The content of
these Provisional Applications are hereby incorporated by
reference.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A retractable device for retaining a writing instrument,
comprising: a retractor comprising a retractor body that houses a
cable, the cable having a first end positioned within the retractor
body and a second end positioned outside the retractor body, the
cable having a protuberance coupled to the second end, and wherein
the cable is selectively extendable from the retractor body and
retractable into the retractor body; and an adapter coupled to the
protuberance, the adapter comprising a main body having a first
portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the
second portion are separated by a partition; the first portion
defining a first bore having a substantially constant diameter, and
the second portion defining a second bore having a tapered inner
bore.
2. The retractable device of claim 1 wherein the adaptor is coupled
to the protuberance by an adhesive.
3. The retractable device of claim 1 wherein the adaptor is coupled
to the protuberance by a friction fit.
4. The retractable device of claim 1 wherein the protuberance
includes one or more annular ridges extending from an outer surface
of the protuberance.
5. The retractable device of claim 1 wherein the protuberance is
provided with threads that mate with walls of the first bore.
6. The protuberance of claim 1 wherein the protuberance is sized to
engage the walls of the first bore.
7. The retractable device of claim 6 wherein the first bore is
provided with at least one ridge projecting away from the walls of
the first bore.
8. The retractable device of claim 1 wherein the second bore is
provided with at least one ridge projecting away from the walls of
the second bore.
9. The retractable device of claim 1 wherein the tapered inner bore
of the second portion of the adapter is funnel-shaped.
10. The retractable device of claim 1 wherein the tapered inner
bore of the second portion of the adapter is bottleneck-shaped.
11. The retractable device of claim 1 further comprising an
elongated rod that is coupled to the retractor body, the elongate
rod sized to engage a bore or a press-in clip bracket.
12. A retractable device for retaining a writing instrument,
comprising: a retractor comprising a retractor body that houses a
cable that is selectively extendable from and retractable into the
retractor body, and a protuberance provided at a first end of the
cable; and an adapter comprising a main body having a first portion
and a second portion, wherein the, first portion and the second
portion are separated by an inner wall; the first portion defining
a first bore having a substantially constant diameter wherein the
first bore engages the protuberance, and the second portion
defining a second bore having a funnel-shaped inner bore that is
capable of engaging an outer wall of the writing instrument.
13. The retractable device of claim 12 further comprising a
fastening means coupled to the retractor.
14. The retractable device of claim 13 wherein the fastening means
is an elongated rod sized to engage a bore or a press-in clip
bracket.
15. The retractable device of claim 12 wherein the protuberance
includes one or more annular ridges extending from an outer surface
of the protuberance.
16. The retractable device of claim 12 wherein the protuberance is
provided with threads that mate with corresponding threads on walls
of the first bore.
17. A retractable device for retaining a writing instrument,
comprising: a retractor comprising a retractor body coupled to a
fastening means and the retractor body housing a cable, the cable
having a first end positioned within the retractor body and a
second end positioned outside the retractor body, the cable having
a protuberance having annular ridges extending from an outer
surface of the protuberance, wherein the protuberance is coupled to
the second end, and wherein the cable is selectively extendable
from the retractor body and retractable into the retractor body;
and a flexible adapter comprising a main body having a first
portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the
second portion are separated by an inner wall; the first portion
defining a first bore having a substantially constant diameter
wherein the first bore engages the protuberance by a friction fit,
and the second portion defining a second bore having a
funnel-shaped inner bore that is capable of engaging and retaining
the writing instrument.
18. The retractable device of claim 17 wherein the fastening means
is a belt clip or a bulldog clip.
19. The retractable device of claim 17 wherein the fastening means
is an elongated rod sized to engage a bore or a press-in clip
bracket.
Description
BACKGROUND
Many people use writing, marking or pointing instruments
(hereinafter referred to generally as "instruments") in their
trade, hobby or leisure times. These instruments may be in the
shape of a carpenter's pencil, felt tip marker, regular pencil,
golf pencil, "clicker" or stick pen, stylus or a pointer. In many
situations the users of these instruments are moving from place to
place as they perform their task. One of the more frustrating and
time wasting aspects of these tasks is when they drop or misplace
their instrument. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a device
that retains an instrument without sacrificing the accessibility of
the instrument.
SUMMARY
Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a
retractable device for retaining writing, marking or pointing
instruments at an accessible location for an individual. Generally,
the retractable device is composed of a retractable reel coupled to
a flexible member that is sized to engage an instrument. The
flexible member may be selectively extended and retracted to
provide better access to the instrument. The flexible member
includes a first bore and a second bore. The first bore is sized to
receive a connector from the retractable reel. The second bore has
a varying inner diameter thereby allowing instruments of various
sizes to be held within the flexible member.
According to various exemplary embodiments, the retractable device
may include fasteners to reversibly couple the retractable device
to the user or other readily accessible surfaces. For example, one
exemplary embodiment of the retractable device utilizes a clip that
allows the device to be coupled to the belt or pants of the user.
In another exemplary embodiment, the device includes a shaft that
extends from the device that may be placed within a pencil holder
or the like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment
engaging a large diameter instrument;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment
engaging a small diameter instrument;
FIG. 3 is an exploded side cross-sectional view of an exemplary
embodiment;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an alternate exemplary
embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of another exemplary
embodiment; and
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of yet another exemplary
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the
appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary
embodiments and is not intended to represent the only forms in
which the exemplary embodiments may be constructed and/or
utilized.
Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 is directed to one exemplary
embodiment of a retractable instrument holder 5. As shown in FIG.
1, the retractable instrument holder 5 is composed of a retractor
11 coupled to a flexible retaining member 17. In the exemplary
embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, the retractor 11 is a conventional
type retractor having a housing 10 and a fastening means 12 for
attaching the retractor 11 to an individual's clothing, or a
clipboard, an ear sun visor, or a pencil holder. The fastening
means 12 may be a belt clip or a bulldog clip, clamps such as
alligator clamps, hooks or other coupling structures known or
developed in the art. The retractor 11 has an internal retractable
reel connected to a cable 14 that can be extended approximately 2
to approximately 3 feet from the reel. As those skilled in the art
will appreciate, the length of the cable 14 may be varied to
accommodate various intended uses.
As shown in FIG. 1, a plug 16 is attached to one end of the cable
14. According to one exemplary embodiment, the plug 16 may be a
generally cylindrical structure having annular ridges 30 provided
about the outer diameter as shown in FIGS. 1-3. In another
exemplary embodiment, the plug 16 may not include the annular
ridges on the outer diameter. In yet another exemplary embodiment,
the plug 16 may be a generally spherical structure as shown in FIG.
5. In another exemplary embodiment, the plug 16 may be provided
with threads 32 on the outer diameter. As those skilled in the art
will appreciate, the plug 16 may have a plurality of shapes and be
made from a plurality of materials such as, but not limited to,
plastic, metal, alloys, ceramics, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 1, the plug 16 is inserted into a bore 21 that is
positioned at one end of the flexible retaining member 17.
According to one exemplary embodiment, the plug 16 is held by
friction fit against the inner walls of the bore 21. To achieve a
friction fit, the diameter of the plug 16 may be slightly larger
than the diameter of the bore 21. In other exemplary embodiment,
the plug 16 having annular ridges 30 may engage corresponding
annular ridges 34 provided on the bore 21 to retain the plug 16 in
the bore 21. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the threads 32
provided on the plug 16 may engage and mate with corresponding
threads 36 provided on the walls of the bore 21. In another
exemplary embodiment, the plug 16 may be snap-fitted into the bore
21 as shown in FIG. 5.
As shown in FIG. 1, the flexible retaining adapter 17 has a
generally funnel-shaped body. The adapter has a bore 21 that is
sized to receive a plug 16. The bore 21 may have smooth inner walls
in one exemplary embodiment. In another exemplary embodiment, the
walls may have annular ridges 34 extending into the bore 21 as
shown in FIG. 3. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the bore 21
may have threads along the inner walls of the bore 21 as shown in
FIG. 6. The adapter 17 also includes a wall 24 that separates the
bore 21 from the main cavity 22. The main cavity 22 has a
cross-section that diminishes as it approaches the wall 24 that
separates the cavity 22 from the bore 21. The decrease in diameter
of the main cavity walls provides a universal adapter that is sized
to engage a wide variety of writing, marking, or pointing
instruments of different diameters to be securely held by a
frictional fit.
The adapter 17 may be made of a plurality of materials that have
the characteristic of being relatively stiff, yet slightly
resilient. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to,
vinyl or rubber.
According to various exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-3,
the inner walls of the main cavity 22 are generally smooth. In
alternate embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inner walls
of the main cavity 22 may be provided with annular ridges that
extend away from the walls of the main cavity 22.
The adapter is capable of housing various instruments of different
diameter sizes due to the resilient nature of the material and the
varying diameters of the cavity 22. For instance, as shown in FIG.
1, the adapter 17 is capable of housing an instrument having a
large diameter such as a carpenter's pencil 18. That is, these
large diameter instruments are inserted into the mouth of the
adapter 17 and the inner walls of the adapter engage the outer
walls of the instruments. As shown in FIG. 2, the adapter 17 is
capable of holding those instruments 19 having smaller diameter.
That is, the inner walls of the cavity 22 that are near the inner
wall 24 are capable of engaging the small diameter instrument.
Furthermore, the adapter 17 is capable of engaging instruments
having irregular cross-sections so long as the instruments are
inserted into the cavity 22 to sufficiently form a tight frictional
fit with the instrument. Additionally, the instrument may be
removed from the cavity 22 with a sufficient pulling force to
overcome the frictional fit and be replaced with another
instrument.
In another exemplary embodiment, the retractor 11 includes a
pencil-rod attachment 25. This attachment 25 is a generally
elongated cylindrical structure. The attachment 25 is sized to be
inserted in a bore 38 or a press-in clip bracket that is found on
most hand-pulled or motorized golf carts. According to one
exemplary embodiment, the attachment 25 has a diameter that is
approximately the same diameter of a typical golf pencil. As those
skilled in the art will appreciate, the diameter and/or length of
the attachment 25 may be varied depending upon the intended
application.
As shown in FIG. 4, the attachment 25 would be inserted into the
bore 38 that is found on a golf cart and the writing instrument
such as a golf pencil (not shown) would be inserted into the mouth
of the adapter. Accordingly, when the user wants to access or use
the writing instrument, the user would grasp the writing instrument
and be able to extend the writing instrument away from the
retractor housing 10 and use the writing instrument. When finished,
the user may release the writing instrument, and the instrument
will be held in an easily accessible location to the user for
future use.
While exemplary embodiments of the retractable instrument holder
have been described with regards to various embodiments, it is
recognized that additional variations of the retractable instrument
holder may be devised without departing from the inventive
concept.
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